Hearing these words, the other hobgoblin nodded rapidly in fear.
Every winter, members of their tribe became reserve food for the grunnfang, and just imagining such a scene was enough to fill the hobgoblin with indescribable terror.
Before this, they had never imagined that Mugi would do something so insane, even going so far as to ask the grunnfang for help.
Those terrifying monsters.
Seeing Mugi appear without a scratch, the hobgoblin could not imagine what it would be like to face a grunnfang directly.
At the very least, in front of a grunnfang, he would probably be too terrified to even speak.
Thinking of this, the hobgoblin was filled with admiration for Mugi.
"It is alright," Mugi said gently to the two trembling tribe members. "It is still summer. There is plenty of food. The grunnfang will not eat us."
"T then what should we do now?" the stammering hobgoblin kept asking.
In truth, according to the tribe's way of thinking, both the grunnfang and powerful humans were existences they could not afford to provoke. It was better to simply leave them alone.
Unless that human dared to venture deep into the forest, the grunnfang would not care.
"Brother is the strongest warrior of our tribe. We must save him."
"Let us return to the tribe first, take all our valuables, and beg that human to spare Brother," Mugi said through clenched teeth.
About two weeks ago, Mugi's older brother, Mugo, who had gone to the edge of the forest, suddenly disappeared, followed by the deaths of many goblins.
They only learned what had happened from goblins who fled from the outer region into the depths of the forest.
According to their descriptions, that human was unbelievably powerful, capable of easily killing even strong orcs.
This plunged the entire Jike tribe into fear.
Judging from the strength that human had displayed, their tribe was clearly no match for him.
Mugi had no choice but to go to the grunnfang cave to ask for their help against that human.
But the grunnfang did not care at all.
....
Two days later.
Arkenwald Forest
2 July
"Gurrr… ghrr…"
"Gurrr… ghrr…"
Heavy hissing sounds echoed among the trees, low and rhythmic, like the breathing of a beast restraining its patience.
Dry leaves on the ground trembled every time the sound rang out.
Two gigantic magical beasts stood before Saelran.
They were nearly three meters tall, their bodies far larger than any human's. Their massive heads were lowered, noses sniffing the ground they had marked as their territory.
From their open jaws, sharp teeth coated in saliva gleamed beneath the forest light.
They moved slowly, circling Saelran from two different directions.
"Is this your territory?" Saelran asked lightly.
"Is it too late for me to retreat?"
There was no answer.
Saelran held Hobgoblin Mugo's body with one hand, while the other rested lightly on the hilt of his iron sword.
His gaze moved calmly, following the movements of the two creatures without the slightest hint of haste.
"Rrroaah!"
One of the magical beasts roared, its heavy, coarse voice echoing deep into the forest.
"Alright," Saelran muttered as he shrugged. "Looks like they refuse."
His expression changed. The relaxed demeanor remained, but the light in his eyes hardened.
In his hand, Hobgoblin Mugo's body trembled violently. The creature barely dared to breathe. Fear froze his entire body.
Both magical beasts were covered in thick black fur. From a distance, they looked like a fusion of a bear and a giant wolf. Muscular bodies, broad shoulders, and sturdy legs gripped the ground with astonishing power.
And the most striking feature was their tails.
A long, white bone tail coiled around the massive demon bear's body. The tail moved slowly from time to time, twisting like a giant snake ready to bind its prey at any moment.
As the two beasts moved, the bone tails swayed along with the rhythm of their bodies, as if they possessed a will of their own.
Ursapulus.
But Saelran preferred to call them Demon Bears.
Magical beasts infamous for their ferocity in Arkenwald Forest. Predators capable of hunting orcs head on.
Their levels were even higher than those of orcs. Their speed and agility far exceeded what their size suggested, combined with unconventional attack methods.
In hunting, they possessed absolute superiority.
Over the past two days, due to the near extinction of the goblin population, Saelran had been forced to expand his hunting area.
Without realizing it, he had ventured too deep into the forest.
And now, he stood squarely within the territory of the Demon Bears.
Saelran's gaze fixed on the bone tail coiled around the creature's body. A trace of understanding surfaced as he watched the Demon Bear use its tail in a defensive posture.
At a glance, the Demon Bears seemed to have almost no openings in their offense. They excelled in close combat, yet were also deadly at medium range thanks to that bone tail.
Even in the game, this monster was known as an extremely troublesome opponent in the early stages.
But this was not a game.
In the real world, their large backs and bellies should have been obvious weak points, the easiest targets for inflicting serious damage.
Unfortunately, the bone tail coiled around the Demon Bear's body completely negated those weaknesses.
And worse still, that tail was not merely a defensive tool.
"Grrrrr…!"
One of the Demon Bears had already moved behind Saelran. Its greenish brown eyes locked onto the human's back. Its growl was low, filled with forced patience.
Its body lowered. Its movement paused for an instant.
Then.
Whoosh!
Its hind legs slammed into the ground. Soil and leaves flew as the massive body lunged forward, aiming straight for Saelran's back.
The Demon Bears' cruel hunting instincts made them fond of toying with their prey. They usually savored their opponent's despair before delivering the final blow.
But this time was different.
Saelran's presence made them feel threatened.
They chose to strike first.
Whoosh!
The huge black shadow charged forward, carrying the stench of blood and rotting flesh. Its jaws opened wide, saliva dripping, its target clear. Saelran's right hand holding the sword.
Hearing the tearing sound of wind behind him, Saelran did not panic.
He stepped swiftly to the left, his body twisting along with the motion of his arm.
The iron sword in Saelran's hand flashed.
Bang!
The blade slammed into the Demon Bear's clawed arm with a dull impact that shook the air.
"Rrroaah!"
A howl of pain erupted, a mix of wolfish wailing and a bear's roar.
The creature's right arm was knocked backward by the impact. Its brown eyes widened, filled with terror it could not comprehend.
It had never imagined that such a small human could produce such overwhelming strength.
Orcs were the strongest creatures they had ever hunted in this forest.
But the human before them was different.
Clang!
The Demon Bear attacked again. Blade and claw scraped violently, spraying fine metal fragments. At the moment of impact, Saelran did not block the attack head on.
He twisted his wrist, shifting the angle of the sword slightly downward.
The momentum of the Demon Bear's charge was immediately diverted.
The massive body lost its balance for an instant as its front claw was forced toward the ground.
At the same time, Saelran stepped into the opponent's range, his sword slashing across the creature's limb.
Splash!
Blood sprayed from Saelran's blade as one of the bear's limbs was severed and thrown aside, landing on the ground.
With a single strike, Saelran cut off the Demon Bear's arm.
With its immense weight and one limb gone, the Demon Bear crashed to the ground in front of him, releasing a howl of agony.
"Rrroooahhh!"
The Demon Bear wailed, struggling to lift its head, but Saelran's foot came down on its skull, pinning it and preventing any movement.
The Demon Bear was crushed into the ground.
The second Demon Bear, which had been preparing to ambush from the other side from the very beginning, froze.
Its gaze was fixed on its companion, defeated by a single slash and pressed to the ground beneath the small human's foot.
Doubt appeared.
Saelran stood between the two bears, one foot pinning one Demon Bear to the earth. He tilted his head slightly, looking at the second creature that had not moved.
"Not attacking?" he said calmly.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Then I will not hold back."